'Moz should invest in English'
2007-10-24 12:30
Nampula - The Mozambican government should invest more in the teaching of English in order for its citizens to benefit from the southern African regional integration set for next year.
The country needed to emphasise teaching English to help develop a human resources base that would contribute to the development of the country, said Joao Sales, director of the Institute of Languages in Nampula, on Wednesday.
Sales was speaking at a ceremony in the northern provincial capital of Nampula, where 18 local students graduated in an English language course financed by the United States of America's embassy.
Countries in the SADC region had set aside 2008 as the year when citizens from the region could freely move around the region, also permitting free trading among countries.
Portuguese was Mozambique's official language while all its neighbours had English as theirs.
Todd Chapman, who handed over certificates to the graduates, said the English language learning programme, called "Access", was one of his country's new achievements in Mozambique.
Chapman, who was also the acting ambassador, said he was impressed by the success of the programme. It was fully funded by the USA government and is implemented in Mozambique's major towns.
More than$100 000 had been invested in the programme throughout the country.
- SAPA